1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sewing apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
An alternative to conventional lockstitch embroidery employs a replaceable cartridge containing a needle and single embroidery thread, supplied pre-threaded by means of a hollow needle of the type commonly used for intravenous injection. A stitching mechanism creates underside thread loops initially retained in the workpiece by friction. A subsequent operation permanently secures the underside loops with adhesive.
Extant sewing systems and methods rely on external forces to pull thread from the cartridge while stitching. In such systems, the thread is prone to breakage at the needle tip, because the tip design employs sharp cutting edges to facilitate workpiece penetration. Such breakage during operation terminates stitch formation, and further necessitates manual rethreading by the machine user before operation can be resumed. Also, loose thread ends and “jump stitches” necessarily remain on the front design side of the embroidered workpiece. This further necessitates a finishing step by manual trimming, even where a means of automatic thread cutting is employed to facilitate cartridge removal after use.